The beautiful decoration and the eye-catching and delicious anniversary cake have been a great surprise for the gorilla family who have enjoyed this animal welfare action.
El Birth of the first gorilla in the Valencian Community It marked a milestone, as it did so within the important international conservation program of this critically endangered species according to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In this way, the intense work of the BIOPARC Valencia animal care team in charge of the well-being of the controlled breeding group of gorillas, began to bear fruit in the fight to prevent disappearance of this emblematic species.
Ebo was chosen as the name of a tropical forest in Cameroon of great biodiversity value, which is home to a group of extremely endangered gorillas. A natural gem that was on the verge of disappearing in 2020 due to the exploitation of its resources and was literally saved by the intense global mobilization led in Spain by the BIOPARC Foundation. Ebo thus symbolizes hope for his species and a victory for the conservation world.
Ebo's birth marked the beginning of BIOPARC's important role in the international programme for gorilla conservation following scientific guidelines.
Gorilla Ebo turns 12 and BIOPARC wanted to celebrate it by organizing a “anniversary party” that the whole family of these impressive great apes has been able to enjoy. These actions are part of the techniques of environmental enrichment to stimulate their instincts, encourage play and interaction.
The striking decoration with garlands, the colorful and delicious cake and the various elements with gifts and skewers that hid their favorite delicacies has been a great surprise for the entire group of gorillas, with the silverback and father of all the offspring Mambie, Ali mother of Ebo and Felix; Nalani and her daughter Virunga; and Fossey with her son Pepe. The family of white-crowned mangabeys (Cercocebus lunulatus) a similarly endangered primate species that shares this unique multispecies enclosure. For him technical staff who has witnessed the growth and evolution of Ebo and who has made sure that no detail was missing, it has been very emotional to contemplate the moment, as well as for the people who visited this Valencian Animal Conservation Park.
With a view to global protection, the support of the BIOPARC Foundation in the recovery of the natural habitats of this species, classified as “critically endangered” by the IUCN Red List, is equally important.
The serious situation facing the western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) makes it essential prioritize scientific criteria in its preservation and follow the guidelines of specialists aimed at achieving under human protection a sufficient and genetically viable population that can ensure their survivalInstitutions such as the IUCN have highlighted the indispensable contribution of these European programmes for the preservation of endangered species (EEP) and the BIOPARCs in Valencia and Fuengirola play a relevant role by hosting the largest group in Spain.
The other vital axis in the Gorilla salvation is the action in situ and for this the BIOPARC Foundation allocates resources to collaborate on projects that act in the natural habitats of these species, in this case with the Ebo Forest Research Project. Once again, BIOPARC wants to send a message of optimism There are more and more examples of animal species that have been able to recover thanks to human intervention guided by expert criteria. In our country, Iberian lynx It has become a paradigm of controlled breeding before a fatality occurred and in Africa the model of protection of mountain gorillas is meaning their salvation.
